Pet Peeve ---Set Lists

A good way to ensure the set sounds as perfect as possible, if that's what you're into (and most touring acts r), is to not vary the song selection

Pet Peeve + set sounds = Pet Sounds

This thread is more like Set Peeves.

Most people don’t see the same act multiple nights in a row.

Unless you are a jam band or other band like Pearl Jam that has fans traveling to see multiple shows, playing the same set list every night on a tour is pretty standard in the industry.  The predictability makes the musicians' job easier and helps the sound and lighting guys too, allowing everything to get dialed in tight and stay that way for the whole tour.  The best show I saw this year was David Byrne and his setlist was pretty locked in during the whole tour.  

Saw David Grisman during a multi-night run at Jazz Alley in Seattle about 10 years ago.  Not only did he play pretty much the same set each time, he had the very same jokes, stories, and "off the cuff" quips.

>>>>>>Not only did he play pretty much the same set each time, he had the very same jokes, stories, and "off the cuff" quips.

lol

Saw 3 Taj Mahal shows in a row.  Same experience except third show he played the Black Jack Davey I had been calling for the two previous shows and Tito Jackson played guitar for a few tunes.

No the vast vast majority of acts who play venues over 200 people will play virtually the same show from night to night. I was a very active participant in the touring industry.

Maybe you noticed that on the way to the Dead playing 3 nights without repeating a song, they butchered a bunch of notes and lyrics. Most music fans aren't into that.

See "Recent Dylan..." thread and compare the setlists.  They are very close cousins.  Venues and taping rigs are different.

Umm sweetheart at the rodeo is an album.

 It's an anniversary...not a touring act.

I would say it is a touring act because McGuinn and Hillman are bringing in Marty Stuart & his band to play the album with them. It's an aniversary too. FWIW

This thread is more like Set Peeves.<<

What's the phrase?  Golf clap?

It's not that easy to mix up the setlist every night when you've got a massive catalog. Even jam monsters like Phish have so much material now, that only so many tunes (still a lot) are on the front burner, as Trey recently said. In 1993, everything was on the front burner. They basically have rotating setlists now, and throw in a few lesser played, or easy-to-play tunes. To really mix it up, it means constantly rehearsing and debating, and there's just not always enough time for that.

On their '40 Licks' tour in 2002-03, The Stones were often coming up with different setlists. Nowadays, they still change up to 3 - 4 songs per show, in a certain slot, but there's also the fact they're not so young anymore, and memories are limited (especially Keith's), so they stick to the warhorses (which they still fuck up sometimes, with teleprompters and all).

When I saw the Who in 2016, they had 2 days off between shows, instead of the usual 1, so they took the time to add 'Acid Queen' (first time since '89), and did 'Pictures of Lily' which only came up infrequently on the tour- and usually botched - but not that night.

As for Dylan, you just never know what he's gonna do. Just when you think you've figured out his setlist m.o., he breaks the mold. In 2005, the first 5 songs were always the same, then it was anything goes. In 1997, maybe half the set or more was anything goes. In 2016 it was pretty etched in stone, with mostly Sinatra tunes and warhorses, but at Desert Trip, he delved back into the oldies and even changed the lyrics tp some well-known classics, like 'Simple Twist of Fate' - and quite coherently at that!

"...As for Dylan, you just never know what he's gonna do. Just when you think..."

Other than a couple of random shows from a month or two ago,  which have almost identical lists except the encore. 
See "Recent Dylan..."  thread with setlists all spelled out.

Anyway,  I agree that people who go see Billy Joel or U2 are not going multiple nights.  It's like a Broadway show and how it's always been done.

Mom & Pop would always say "But you just saw the Grateful Dead !! Why do you want to see the same show again ??"

Anyway,  I agree that people who go see Billy Joel or U2 are not going multiple nights.

You may be right about Billy Joel but almost all the U2 fans I know hit every show at their home cities and a good percentage also travel to other cities and do the same thing. 

I know Springsteen (at times) mixes it up

In reality, Springsteen mixes it up more than any other band. The only time the set list is somewhat static is during the first 5 - 10 nights of a tour supporting a new release. The last few full tours have clocked in at between 180 - 260 songs played on tour. The Springsteen teleprompter, at last count, has over 500 songs lyrics in memory and Bruce can, and will, pull any of those songs out to play on the fly. Add to those songs the true wild cards, usually a sign for a song never played before or a cover never played and besides the few obligatory "hits" the set list is almost always anything goes. I am always in awe when a cover song that they have never played before gets audibly called. Bruce picks a sign and shows it to the closest video camera man or his guitar tech. The guitar tech lets the rest of the crew know what song it is and that information is radioed to the sound/light board area. The teleprompter guy then goes to the internet and grabs the lyrics to the song and programs them into the teleprompter database. While this is going on, Steve Van Zand (who quiet possibly know every song ever recorded)  will work out an arrangement in his head. He will then go around to each band member and teach them the chords, etc.. Bruce's tech will then pull out a guitar in the correct tuning or tune one guitar properly if one is not set up right. Back at the sound/light board sound and lighting plots are created with a lot of flexibility because nobody ever knows what Springsteen will do on stage. 

When the song is played it normally sounds like they have been rehearsing that song for a long time. They haven't. The band is just that good. 

Even before the show, a set list is subject to major change. I was at a MSG show one year and when I got to my photography platform the set list was taped in all the usual places. By the time the show started, about 30 mins late, the set list had been substantially changed 5 times. It's good to be the Boss.  

>>>>people who go see Billy Joel or U2 are not going multiple nights

One of the biggest plot holes in "Taken" was when Liam Neeson discovers a map showing that his daughter had planned on crisscrossing Europe to go on U2 tour.  Who the fuck goes on U2 tour.

Only acts I've seen consecutive nights (aside from 'Festival' settings) have been GD,  Jerry Garcia Band,  PLQ, Phish and Bob Dylan,  1994 era.  Also Dylan when he and Phil were touring together.

These days Dylan seems to be playing about the same list every show,  with a few changes here and there.  But in '94 I went first night at the Hult in Eugene,  and was so enthused that I went the next night as well.  

Through the '70's and '80's it was mainly Grateful Dead and Little Feat that tended to vary their sets from night to night.  If you went to a Foreigner,  Fleetwood Mac,  or Genesis show back then,  they did pretty much the same set every night.

I haven't seen enough Bruce shows to comment on the lists,  but he used to play 6-8 shows at the Meadowlands and I suppose the die-hard fans would catch at least a few.